Greig Leach

It is a cruel stage that starts with a Category 1 climb. Due to a delayed start because of a rider's mechanical in the neutral roll out, the race didn't start until about two kilometers in. And when it did start it seemed to go straight up as soon as the race director Marion Rousse pulled in the start flag. After multiple attempts by many different women, these five seemed to have made the move that was going to stick. Still in her race jacket, Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) leads the breakaway up the Col de Plainpalais. She is joined in the effort by Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck), Mareille Meijering (Movistar), Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) and Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike). All four of her companions were in the breakaway yesterday, with Chabbey adding to her Queen of the Mountains jersey. She joined the break today in hopes of securing the Maillot a Pois from beginning to end. It seems a rather achievable goal.